These are remnants of an offshoot of Europe’s first major highway, the Appian Way. The route, begun in 312 B.C., meanders out of the city and a cross Italy’s southern regions until it reaches the eastern port city of Brindisi. It helped inspire the saying “All roads lead to Rome,” and in Italy it is still called Regina Viarum—the Queen of Roads. But its legacy has been largely neglected, buried with its stones under millennia of history.
这里欧洲第一条高速公路亚壁古道分支的遗迹。亚壁古道始于公元前312年，蜿蜒出城，穿过意大利南部地区，直到到达东部港口城市布林迪西。由它衍生出了“条条大路通罗马”的说法，在意大利，它仍然被称为“道路皇后”。但它的遗迹在很大程度上被忽视了，埋葬在千年的历史之下。
Now an Italian government project is under way to transform the Appian Way (Via Appia) into a pilgrimage route from buzzing Rome to nautical Brindisi, a quiet city on the heel of Italy’s boot. In its roughly 360-mile span across the country, the Appia takes many forms: a forested dirt path, a town plaza, a highway. It’s not always scenic or pleasant, but it is an immersion into a slice of Italy few tourists see.
现在，意大利政府正在进行一项工程，将亚壁古道改造成一条朝圣之路，从热闹的罗马到港口城市布林迪西，那是位于意大利“靴子”后跟的安静城市。亚壁古道长约360英里，横贯全国，它的形态多种多样:森林遍布的土路、城镇广场、高速公路。亚壁古道的观赏性欠佳，却可以让你领略到较少游客涉足的意大利。
“Under the Romans, Brindisi reached its biggest splendor,” a local guide is telling a small crowd gathered on the boardwalk in Brindisi. “They understood the importance of the port. From Brindisi you could take off for the East.” It’s Via Appia Day, an annual celebration, and the group is touring the route’s end point on a sunny October afternoon. Around 266 B.C., the Romans arrived here, defeated the Messapian civilization, and completed the Appian Way.
“在罗马人的统治下，布林迪西迎来了辉煌的巅峰时刻，”一位当地导游对聚集在布林迪西步道上的一小群人说道。“他们明白港口的重要性，布林迪西可以乘坐飞机前往东部。”现在正值一年一度的亚壁古道日，在十月一个阳光明媚的下午，旅行团正在游览这条路线的终点。公元前266年左右，罗马人来到这里，取代了弥赛亚文明，完成了亚壁古道的修建。
What’s important is that the Appia turned Brindisi into a global powerhouse, from which the Roman Army set off to expand its empire east to cities like Alexandria and Jerusalem. Eventually, the Roman Empire ruled a quarter of the human population across three continents. Now, a couple hundred travelers show up each year via various hiking routes that lead to the city.
重要的是，亚壁古道将布林迪西变成了全球的权力中心，罗马军队从这里向东扩张到亚历山大和耶路撒冷等城市。最终，罗马帝国统治了三大洲、全球四分之一的人口。现在，每年有数以百计的游客通过各种徒步路线来拜访这座城市。
图文来源 | National Geographic
翻译 | 新译科技AI+人工校对
编辑、排版 | 吉艺慧
